Social media Advent calendar day 17: Dabr

Dabr certainly isn’t a new Twitter tool, so why include it on the list now? Simple – it solves a problem it was perhaps never intended to sort out: How to use Twitter if your internet connection at work isn’t the best.

I know of newsrooms, often in rural areas, where internet connections or network configurations mean that ‘proper Twitter’ takes an age to load – and downloading and running Tweetdeck remains a daydream.

Of course, the solution is better broadband connection, but in the meantime, Dabr – designed for use on mobile phones and therefore, by definition, much ‘lighter’ to use – solves a big problem.

There are a lot of mobile Twitter tools out there – including Twitter’s own mobile service, but none are a patch on Dabr, in my opinion.

Particular strongpoints are the auto showing of linked-to pictures within the timeline and a simple one-line navigation bar which makes it simple to click between retweets, replies, direct messages, and search.

Trends – configuarable to certain area – upload pictures and lists are also available.

As I said, Dabr isn’t new, but just because a tool is established shouldn’t mean it isn’t still worth shouting about. I know of several council press offices (and at least one housing association) where this tool meant for mobile could be the best desktop client available.